Here are the final ten contenders for TIME’s Person of the Year (listed alphabetically):

Bashar Assad, President of Syria

Jeff Bezos, Amazon Founder

Ted Cruz, Texas Senator

Miley Cyrus, Singer

Pope Francis, Leader of the Catholic Church

Barack Obama, President of the United States

Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran

Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services

Edward Snowden, N.S.A. Leaker

Edith Windsor, Gay rights activist

TIME Managing Editor Nancy Gibbs announced the group on the TODAY show Monday morning. TIME’s Person of the Year will be announced Wednesday morning.

Obama was Person of the Year in 2008 and 2012. He is the only person who appeared on last year’s short list to make this year’s. His predecessor in the White House, Franklin D. Roosevelt, is the only person to receive the title three times.

TIME selected its first “Man of the Year” in 1927. The recognition goes to the person who TIME’s editors think most influenced the news this year, for good or bad. TIME’s readers, in a poll completed last week, selected Egypt’s General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi as their Person of the Year.

As an American, it truly saddens me that Edward Snowden's name made it onto this list. Many American's far greater than him have sacrificed their lives for the good of this country and the information that he holds in the balance could render those sacrifices futile.

I am cancelling time subscription, how can it be so biased against popular and dynamic leader like Narendra Modi. Who polled 10 times more votes then Pope moreover Pope's 37% of the vote are negative votes. Shame on time editorial board. It's too biased that it sucks to be involved in fixing the POY in favor of their choice. Why create a farce of voting ....

I hope Pope Francis can turn the Catholic Church around and away from its unfortunate past in politics and, um, other unfortunate things. Congratulations to Pope Francis! God willing he will live to be all that he appears to be :) The Catholic Church could do so much to save millions of lives!

I'm glad Pope Francis was picked — we really need laudable examples
of humanity to hold up these days. I'm not a Catholic, though I am a
Christian, and I'm very happy about this choice. The only other real
contender in my view was Edward Snowden.

But if you
talk about influence being the quality at issue here, I certainly don't
see where Miley Cyrus, whose work was largely derivative and lacking
much musicality, made the grade. Yes, she sells records — but seriously,
is that enough?

As for the rest, their narrow
political agendas and/or narrow political roles in various spheres
hardly qualify them for contention. Okay, the president is THE AMERICAN
PRESIDENT, but with America falling behind on so many fronts, and
failing to lead where it really matters, he's not exactly setting a
broad tone of vision in action.

But there is one
notable absence here. 350.org's Bill McKibben has been a tireless
spokesman for the looming ills of climate change. But moreover, he's
translated that into palpable, consistent action in protests, action
items, writing, speaking, and engaging a cross-generational population
to get off the sidelines and stand up for creation. We know now that there is no one to hold up as a person of the year if we destroy the natural world on which we utterly depend. Humans are not separate from nature, we are dependent on it. We have to break out of the delusion that sees us as separate.

TIME really dropped
the ball in not including McKibben and should rectify it with a great big huge spread on his work asap.

To those complaining about Modi not being on this list: I completely agree with you. But Time Magazine has always operated so that the editors choose who makes the top lists. In the issue, they show the audience polls and which were voted on.

You guys, Miley is a contender of the person of the year because nobody could stop talking about her. You think she shouldn't because she has the infamous vma performance and other candidates helped the world and people benefit from them but you can't deny that Miley Cyrus was the topic of the year. Every site had her on it, everybody comments about her. You guys are the reason she is a contender you won't shut up about your distaste of her.

There are some pretty impressive picks for the "person of the year" (good or bad), but Miley Cyrus is neither. She is more like a skid mark on a beloved pair of panties. The satin is stained and yet continues to be worn. Crude, and so she is....

@hallmcmillan Whoa...he holds information? Look there's people in the NSA and their subcontractors that hold this information that we didn't even know they held. Information they should not have, nor did we agree to, nor was anyone allowed to question it because "classified" was the lock on the door to any inquiries. The UK was called out for spying on US citizens, is that ok now?

I'm disillusioned with the protect the people vs the protect the concepts of the Constitution that millions did die for. It is a balance but surely when the concept is thrown out the window to such a degree, these things that Snowden did had to happen. He is as much as an American protect the Constitution as the people that fight for our country. What's sad are the others in these agencies that kept their mouths still shut after all this illegal spying was released...they have put their own job security above being an American that WHISTLEBLOWS illegal activities. We are no better than "yes men" or Nazi guards when we don't say No to the powers that be that put fear above ethics.

Nor can we forget taht the NSA broke the law once before in the 1970s, and thanks to Frank Church we at least stopped them then, but it looks like history did repeat itself and people still back the default to higher authority in power instead of higher thoughts of philosophy that protect all of us in the long run.

@hallmcmillan As an American, it truly saddens me that war hero Edward Snowden did not win this honor. Many Americans continue to be involved in foolish wars, put in greater danger due to illegal use of drone warfare. We would not know the details about the NSA spying on Americans they way they do and all of these awful things our government has been and continues to do, without the bravery of this man.

I'm sad that TIME didn't have the courage to make him POY. The Pope is a pretty awesome person though. It's amusing to see so called religious people that are focused more on worshiping their money and bad mouthing their pope, than in helping people, respecting people.

@sganu A lot of the Pope's negative votes are likely from the right wingers who call themselves religious, but are so wrapped up in hateful things, against equal marriage rights, against being respectful of people who want to come to the US to live, fighting AGAINST people having health insurance, against reinstating the higher tax rates of wealthy Americans----so many 'religious' people are worshiping money and helping only themselves, so they feel threatened by the Pope's message and need to justify their own selfish actions.

If by the world we mean limited to rocks, minerals, trees, soil, wind currents, even some bodies of water, certain species, etc.,
sure — nature returns its balance in long geologic time (and sooner
quite often in isolated examples).

But we're raining down a can whoop
a** on a heckuva lot of species, plant and animal, and that's not so
cool. Extinctions, mass extinctions that are directly a result of our
behavior, or depleting to the point of criticality, these things may
have a permanent legacy which spell the end of the story for certain
characters, perhaps ourselves among them.

Will life continue? Can it? In all probability. But what a sad testament to our species the scar that we're leaving.

What we can agree on, it sounds like, is that we're on a real wrong-headed path. Humans are the smartest animal? That's starting to look real dubious. America gratest nation on earth? Ditto.

@Bullsgt@robertsgt40 He will never get the chance. Iran, as well as Iraq, Libya, Syria and others have been targeted for "regime change" years ago.(See Gen Wesley Clark's interview). These folks have the balls to be sitting on assets the US and others covet. Also in the US sights is China( owe them way too money). Israel is also throwing a wrench at any chance of peace

@robertsgt40 I have no first hand knowledge but I do read quite a bit and the overwhelming perception/evidence (not just U.S. news) is conclusive. I would like to see Hassan Rouhani be everything that he portrays. But I'm not going to hold my breath.

@Bullsgt@robertsgt40 That certainly is in line with the official narrative. Got any proof? Not. On the other hand, look who has invaded and laid waste to the middle east. Yup, the same folks who claim Iran is the bad guy. How many more wars do you think we need at this point? You've been pimped.